I started working in the Mckinleyville HARTMAN BULB FARMS, and SUN VALLEY BULB FARMS in 1975/76 summers. I then graduated in Jan. Of 1977 from Arcata Highschool and began full time work for SunValley back then, but my job evolved intotissue culture and cross breeding and hybridizing lillies in a lab which was hidden inside a barn overlooking a packing shed and three large flower coolers..It was located on the 27th ST. Side of the farm...Hybridizing THE STARGAZER LILLIES...I moved from a large flower cooler every morning using a needle and syringe to remove the liquid juices from the stamens of the white easter lilies to a large green house with two long rooms full of Easter Lilies that needed to have heir liquid gold removed also...Then I would take my syringes to the refrigerator upstairs in a very sterile lab where we worked for the 2nd half of the days cutting up bulbs to be placed into test tubes filled with agar a gel used as growing medium...we placed any where from 3 to 6 pieces into the test tube medium and french squares which were sterilized by an autoclave before we used them....we were gloved up working under ultraviolet lights and blowers.. that were contained in hooded boothes with blowers to keep the enviorment.germ and disease free so our precious babies would grow...I was there until about 1982 a month or so shy..Because I quit to have my first born baby a Girl...Sarah. I was high risk pregnancy with heart issues, and a lot of my work meant hauling heavy boxes of these french squares to be emptied and cleaned for reuse....It was very much what you described ..very steril rooms..3 separate booths we were 4 ladies and 1 man..Dan Clark was our hybridizing crazy man..lol he was terrific..They hired him from Kansas...He was a First class Horteculturist..very good at his job! We worked constantly 5 days a week, cross breeding and hybridizing those lilies..I worked for Ted Kirsh and then they brought in Mr. Laird and his son David as new buyers or partners..I cant remember..they were from back east...The whole time I worked there was totalaly on the up and up...It was good work and I worked half day in greenhouse then loaded the autoclave and at noon I would switch and go up to lab for Tissue culture...It was a very interesting job! Then the period of time that felt as if the rumors were getting high and talk of other company spies, espianage and all our hard work being stolen..or being claimed as others work....What the goings on were amongst the big bosses at that place...who knew we did our jobs..wherethey got there information from was up in the air..Did kirshbsteel Woodriffs flowers or jst the opposite...I could never figure out what was happening because there was so much going on, we were so excited about the stargazer... then the next thing you know there was talk that someone stole the process or the bulb itself, and everyone was up in arms and Ted run a tight ship and kept things going very well and in my opinion I know how much work we all put into making those cross hybridizations and also know that The lab was run like a well greased machine and Daniel (Dan ) Did a top notch job! Well before I quit I remember the talks of trips Ted took to holland and all the talk of selling bulbs and such, and it was just as I was ending that the new owners began having way more visits from the dutch folks and I remember Ted bringing them round to meet everyone.There was some real tention at one point early on in my employement when a certain tiger lily that had been crossed suddenly disappeared from the greenhouse and there were some very angry people around...At one time Ted was working with a Mr.Laired and something was going on with a theft of this very special secret Lily...The stargazer cross as I recall..I remember it it was a lovely little wine collared tigerlily...when crossed with the big white Easter lily was this most amazing brilliant Stargazer I remember my boss telling me that we crossed the two and got the beautiful flower and were working on it to get the beauty of both flowers but with the wonderful fragrant scent or something to that effect! Shortly after that is when all heck broke loose and things were all kinds of mixed up...Tension was high..and I mean high....Ted Remained very good boss right up until it switched hands and I, like you do not for a minute believe he ever wronged Woodriff in the way it was rumored he did...It just was not the kind of man he was...Your story has brought back so many memories. Dan Clark ran the lab with his wife Cindy and then I believe they closed the lab down after the so theft......Tom and Sherri Turner came on the scene as Dan was leaving, but I believe they took over for Dan and Cindy when they moved back home to Kansas..After that the bulb farm went through massive changes with the Holland guys etc. My Brother in law has been there for many years now and he started well after I quit to give birth....The place has become massive..and the operation amazing.... Would love to hear more about this story if you ever get any more..It would sure help to make since...of a lot of things! I FELT IT WAS A GREAT PLACE TO WORK! I worked as a picker when I first started, with one of my best friends mom, later with my mother in law...then met my husband then...but absolutely loved the change in my job when I accepted the job and went to work in the lab and greenhouse...Thank you for your thorough investigating... Maybe someday the whole truth will surface...
Kareny
